Snapshots reveal key molecular machine in tropical parasites at near-atomic resolution

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Add as preferred source Illustration of the three-dimensional structure of the trans-spliceosome, the molecular machine responsible for a key stage in mRNA maturation in trypanosomatids. Credit: Théo Nadenoen A study conducted by the University of Liège and Rockefeller University reveals, with near-atomic precision, the three-dimensional structure and function of a gigantic molecular machine essential to the survival of trypanosomatid parasites, which cause serious diseases in humans, animals and plants. The work has been published in Nature Communications .

This discovery sheds light on a biological mechanism that has remained a mystery for nearly 40 years and reveals several features specific to these organisms.